Sandbanks Provincial Park is a provincial park located on Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County near Picton, Ontario, Canada. The park is considered one of the best sandy beaches in Ontario and contains the largest bay-mouth barrier dune formation in the world. The park was established in 1970 and operates year round. Birdwatching, camping, cycling, fishing, and swimming are among the activities available in the park.

Description

Sandbanks Provincial Park is located on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County south of Picton, Ontario, Canada. The park measures in size. It is noted for its picturesque

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

s and beaches and contains the largest bay-mouth barrier

dune system A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

in the world. This formation is created by longshore currents flowing from west to east along Lake Ontario's northern shore. Some dunes can reach high. The dune system stretches roughly long from the tip in the northwest less than wide to a swath in the southeast. The dunes run from Lake Ontario into West Lake. Behind the barrier dunes lies a series of foredunes that is sparsely vegetated and further back,

panne Salt pannes and pools are water retaining depressions located within salt and brackish marshes. Pools tend to retain water during the summer months between high tides, whereas pannes generally do not. Salt pannes generally start when a mat of or ...

s, back dunes, and reforested sand ridges. County Road 12 in Prince Edward County, stretching from The Outlet, Ontario to Bloomfield, Ontario, runs through the park.

Flora and fauna

Plants native to the sand dunes include

sea rocket ''Cakile'' is a genus within the flowering plant family Brassicaceae. Species in this genus are commonly known as searockets, though this name on its own is applied particularly to whatever member of the species is native or most common in the ...

, American beachgrass, tall wormwood,

Russian thistle Russian thistle is a common name that can refer to: * ''Echinops exaltatus'', also known as ''Russian globe thistle'', is a globe thistle native to Eurasia and an invasive species in Eastern Canada and Northern United States. * ''Kali tragus'', fo ...

, sand cherry. In the pannes, sedge and rushes are the most common, along with orchids, purple gerardia, Kalm's lobelia,

silverweed ''Argentina'' (silverweeds) is a genus of plants in the rose family (Rosaceae) which is accepted by some authors, as containing 64 species, but classified in ''Potentilla'' sect. ''Leptostylae'' by others. Selected species *''Argentina anserina ...

and

twayblade ''Neottia'' is a genus of Orchidaceae, orchids. The genus now includes the former genus ''Listera'', commonly known as twayblades referring to the single pair of opposite leaves at the base of the flowering stem. The genus is native to Temperat ...

s. In the forested areas, creeping juniper,

white cedar White cedar may refer to several different trees: * Bignoniaceae ** ''Tabebuia heterophylla'' - native to Caribbean islands and also cultivated as an ornamental tree * Cupressaceae: ** ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' – Atlantic white cypress ** ''Cup ...

, eastern hemlock, sugar maple, balsam fir, white spruce and three types of pine tree are common. Prairie species are also found within the park, such as hoary puccoon,

sand dropseed ''Sporobolus cryptandrus'' is a species of grass known as sand dropseed. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in southern Canada, most of the United States, and northern Mexico. Description ''Sporobolus cryptandrus'' is a peren ...

, and butterflyweed. Animals found within the park include a number of shorebird and amphibian species, along with Largemouth bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, Walleye, yellow pickerel, northern pike among other fish.

History

The dunes were formed by glaciers 12,500 years ago. In the 1880s, due to a combination of timber cutting and poor farming practices, the soil inland from the sand dunes had become destabilized and the sand dunes were able to drift inland, increasing in size. In 1881, the West Point Road was buried under of sand and the town of Athol, Ontario was forced to relocate after facing a similar event. In the 1920s, Sandbanks was the site of an intense reforestation project. The sand dunes extended over a further . To recreate the Carolinian forest that had pre-existed there, the reforestation project used Populus, poplar to prevent the sand dunes from burying roads and orchards. Development of Sandbanks Provincial Park began in the 1960s. A development plan submitted in February 1964 placed a paved road through the sand dunes. After protests due to the damage that would cause to the dunes, the plan was abandoned and Parks Ontario pledged to protect the dunes. The park was established in 1970.

Recreational use

Sandbanks Provincial Park is one of the most popular parks in Ontario, commonly reaching capacity by 10 am. The park is operated by the government of Ontario, with areas for different types of recreation. With 3 beaches (Outlet Beach, Dunes Beach and Lakeshore Beach) and over 600 campsites. Sandbanks offers both non-electrical and electrical campsites located all over the park. Some parts of the beach had been bought or settled before the designation of the area as a provincial park, which makes the beaches come in short clusters along the coastline. Naturists have used the beaches for nude bathing for many years. Other activities include walking, cycling, birdwatching, fishing and swimming.

Park information

There are two radio stations for travelers at the main entrance to the park. *89.5 FM (English) *91.9 FM (French)

In media

Sandbanks stands in for Sable Island in the 2002 made-for-television film ''Touching Wild Horses'', starring Jane Seymour. ''Resident Evil: Afterlife'' (2010) was also filmed there. This is also where the music video for the 1985 song "Wave Babies" by Honeymoon Suite was filmed. Sandbanks was filmed for Leg 7 pit stop for The Amazing Race Canada 8, season 8 of ''The Amazing Race Canada''.

Citations

References

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External links

*
Friends of Sandbanks Provincial Park
{{Authority control Provincial parks of Ontario Parks in Prince Edward County, Ontario Shoals of Canada Protected areas established in 1970 1970 establishments in Ontario Nude beaches